Hakuoki : Tale Of Yuki

Chapter 24: Pact

The town were swallowed by the blaze of raging fire. From their spot Hijikata and the others were able to see clearly the angry red flames consuming everything.

It was an unforgivable sight, to think the place where people called home and belongs to perished so easily and possibly the number of casualties caused by this tragedy. 

Alas, there's nothing they could do to stop it. The only thing they could do at this moment is to keep their act together and calmly proceed their mission.

"We must hurry," Hijikata remind his mens. Despite what is happening to the town, they must not forget their duty. To apprehend the criminals hiding in mountain before they all decide to escape their punishment by committing seppuku.

They ran, rushed to their destination with twilight chasing their back.

"Aaarghhhh!!!!"

They all came to halt. The sound of human cries, screaming in agony. The wreathing smell of blood. The shrieks of people of their last moment. The bloody mess of samurai bodies all around.

The view insight was not what they had expected in their mind.

It was right at that instant, they were there just right the moment when a soldier were slashed right through their stomach,another scream of agony along with blood spilled as he plopped to the ground. It was brutal. It's like they were attacked by an animal. A monster.

But the one standing amongst the corpse is no monster.

It shouldn't be one.

The one standing is child Hijikata knew too well with his clumsy smile. The crybaby boy who find him scary yet tried to get along with him.

"Yu...ki...?" Chizuru, the one next to him was the first to call out. Yes, that's right. It was Yuki. There's no mistaken it. But he didn't hear her calling. Not when he's too busy, slaughtering peoples.

It was wrong. She wanted to get closer, she wanted him to stop. She need to stop him--

Hijikata brought his hand up to stop Chizuru from getting closer, knowing full well what she intended.

There were only two soldiers left, one already battered with deep wounds, one already missing an arm, despite that, both still fought like a madman, in this situation they too seems inhuman. Too desperate. Too deadly.

Yuki was also in similar condition though every wounds began to heal so fast everytime he was cut, the blood red eyes gleaming so confidently, his hair were white and his skins were oddly dark pattern.

"Kagome, kagome," he sang, evading their attacks.

"The bird in the cage...When will you get out?"

He dashed and cut the missing arm soldier through the throat.

"In the evening of the dawn, The crane and the turtle slipped... "

He turned and the other soldier almost got him but he disappear in a flash.

"... Who is the person behind you now?"

Slash! Yuki reappear and it took a while for Hijikata to realize the other soldier is missing his head. It landed near them and immediately Chizuru gasps in horror.

Yuki-- did he just send that man head flying in that instant!?

Everyone mind were thinking the same thing. All the Chousu were completely massacred. None remain. But judging from the still bloodlust in the air, it seems like this child--monster, he's not done.